Secrets
by ChildrenoftheBarricade
Summary: Marius knew he was lucky to have him. But he also knew that his lover had countless secrets in his mysterious past. Little by little, though, he was going to find out everything. Marius/Enjolras, rating for non-explicit sex.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have not written in a long time, which sucks, but my last exam of the year is tomorrow and it will be a piece of cake. So I managed to get this done and the next chapter of More Special Occasions will be done by Thursday. Varied between T and M for this fic - T for the moment but might be upgraded later.**

They lay together, their bodies entwined, the covers kicked away in the heat of passion and the summer night. The older boy had fallen asleep, his golden curls soaked with sweat, his pale skin burning to the touch. No wonder they called him Apollo at school, a burning heat beneath the icy exterior.  
Marius settled beside him, soon sliding into sleep. He knew he didn't have a hope in hell with a boy like that, not normally. He'd been bitter, upset, and eager to vent his frustration. He'd noticed the looks Marius had given him, and shocked the boy when he'd invited him back to their apartment and kissed him. It was what he wanted, no doubt, but he'd never thought it could happen. He knew others like him existed, but a boy as gorgeous as him...  
When he woke in the morning, the blonde - damn, he didn't even know the boy's name - was in the kitchen, sat with a cup of coffee. He was writing, working on something, his delicate fingers stained with ink. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and Marius noticed with some alarm the ring of bruises on his wrist as if someone had grabbed him too hard. The blonde's eyes flicked up for a moment, and he noticed where Marius was looking. "A slightly overzealous friend and skin that bruises at the slightest force. Nothing to worry about."  
Was this the same boy he'd bedded last night? He thought of the blonde clinging to him, calling oaths to any deity imaginable, touching, tasting loving. He was not this, cold and formal. Was he really that embarrassed? Perhaps he was still coming to terms with himself. Either way, Marius decided that the best thing to do would be leave.  
Three weeks later, the pretty blonde was far from Marius's mind. Gabriel Courfeyrac had finally convinced him to meet some of his friends. Now he was in the noisy room at the back of a cafe, surrounded by the strangest combination of people he'd ever met. Gabriel was fidgeting in his seat, apparently still waiting for something. "What's wrong?"  
"Valentin's not here yet."  
"Valentin?"  
"Uh-huh. Valentin Enjolras." The sole heir to the largest estate in the south of France. Marius's grandfather mentioned the family on occasion, but rarely spoke of their son. He was somewhat of an enigma to the gossiping upper classes, a mixture of dignified maturity and wild passion. Clearly Gabriel wanted Marius to meet him.  
He was starting to get bored of waiting when the door opened. His jaw dropped. It was Apollo, the beautiful blonde. He met Marius's eyes for a moment, clearly recognising him, before dropping into a seat beside Gabriel. He pulled off his jacket, loosening his cravat. "Afternoon."  
"Valentin, this is Marius Pontmercy. Marius, Valentin Enjolras."  
"We met briefly a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to find out your name." Valentin was cool and calm, but Marius could feel his heart pounding. This was impossible. This boy was handsome, wealthy, intelligent, flawless. What had led him to pick up the first boy that looked at him? And how was he so able to pretend nothing had happened.  
The evening passed. Valentin seemed settled in his corner, the other side of the room, showing no signs of wanting to leave while the others drifted off in groups of two or three. Gabriel left with a pair of men who were planning on finding some young women to occupy their night. Marius decided, with nothing better to do, to wait until he was alone with Valentin. He sat in the corner, working on his coursework, accompanied by one of his friends - Julien, his name was, Julien Combeferre. He was trying to convince Valentin to go home and sleep.  
"For crying out loud, Julien, I'm fine. I'm not a child."  
"I think you need to rest."  
"I need to work. If my mind is occupied, I'm happy. I can make my own way home."  
"I don't like leaving you alone."  
"Just go home. I'll see you tomorrow." Reluctantly, Julien left. Finally, they were alone. Valentin didn't glace up, taking a sip from his wineglass. He'd had the same glass all night, Marius realised, barely drinking anything. Finally, cautiously, Marius got up and started to walk towards him.  
"Hello again," he said simply, still not looking at him. Marius froze, before sinking into a seat opposite him. "I think we're both agreed it would be easier if we never had to meet again."  
Marius remained silent, which seemed to amuse the blonde. "You're awfully quiet. You seemed a lot less shy last time we saw one another. You know Gabriel is very adept at reading people. He'll work out exactly why you're so reluctant to talk to me. If anything, I should be ignoring you."  
"You..." Was he serious? Marius had practically bedded a prince. What did Valentin have to be shy about? For a moment, Valentin looked a little melancholy, but it soon passed, and he regained that marble composure.  
"I was in an emotional pit three weeks ago, so I went looking for comfort. That's why I took you home. And you left in the morning without a single word to me."  
"What was I supposed to do? People like you..." Valentin tensed. That was clearly a phrase he'd heard far too many times, in the wrong context. It was always a danger for a deviant. What they did may be legal, but people still looked at them with disgust. Marius took a breath, and continued.  
"You know they call you Apollo at school. You're gorgeous, you're smart and talented, you've got more money tha most people could ever imagine. People like you don't end up with people like me. I thought you'd be ashamed of stooping to my level, and I decided to spare you the embarrassment."  
"You're right, I wouldn't normally go to bed so quickly with you. Normally, I've got more sense than to throw myself at anyone when I've never met them before. But I wasn't embarrassed. You shouldn't think so lowly of yourself, or so highly of me. I'm nothing special."  
"If you say so." Marius dropped his gaze. God, this was awkward. Undeniably, he was still attracted to the blonde, but he didn't want to be. He wished he could throw his affections aside, see him as just a friend of a friend. That was never going to happen, he knew it. He'd have to see him all the time, he'd never stop noticing him in classes or at the cafe. A gentle hand tilted his chin upwards, and he reluctantly met Valentin's eyes.  
"You're more important than you think."  
"So are you."  
"Then maybe we're perfectly matched." Without another word, Valentin leant forward and kissed him. Marius froze, unsure of how to react. Valentin pulled back, realising that Marius wasn't reacting. He flamed red - he even managed to blush attractively - running a hand through his hair.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He stood up, gathering up his books, picking up his jacket. Marius panicked. Walking out had been the only option he could think of for a pair of strangers, but not here. Now, trying to ignore him would be awkward, together in the same social circles, with the apparently perceptive Gabriel. It couldn't hurt them.  
Tentatively, he leant forward and returned the kiss. "My place or yours?"  
The following morning, Marius woke in an unfamiliar bed. It was certainly not his, but nor was it the bed he had shared with Valentin almost a month ago. Silken sheets caressed his skin, and he turned over to find Valentin still asleep beside him. The bed was far more comfortable than his cot at the Gorbeau tenement, his companion more agreeable than flies and rats that shared his room. Valentin confused him, Marius admitted. He was beautiful an charming, but a complete mystery. Marius knew nothing about him. He looked about fifteen, but must be older. He had this luxurious apartment and a sparse, rundown place the other side of town.  
"I don't understand you," he said softly, admiring the blonde.  
"You probably never will," Valentin mumbled softly, blinking sleepily at Marius. He was only half-awake, his arm draped across Marius's waist. Pushing the enigma to the back of his mind, Marius settled into his semi-conscious embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, so my next Jehan/Courf chapter is a fortnight overdue. It's safe to say it probably won't get written, and I'll leave that as a oneshot. I am working on something special for Barricade Day though. Until then, here's the next chapter of Secrets.**

Marius started meeting up with Valentin on a regular basis outside the café. Neither had to say a word, and they would both head to Valentin's apartment to satisfy their need for one another. Well, it was a need for Marius. He had no clue what Valentin wanted. He still knew barely anything about him.

They never spoke a word to the others. Surely they would be accepting, or most of them would. But Valentin stayed quiet, and Marius didn't know them well enough to tell them he was bedding another man. When he asked Valentin about his silence - too nervous to ask many other questions - he shrugged it off.

"My private life is private. I would not deny our relationship, but nor do I see the need to tell everyone if no-one asks."

He had learnt a few things about Valentin. For instance, he was eighteen years of age, a year older than Marius, and had left home a little after his fifteenth birthday. Marius had expected some sort of scandal, considering he left home at such a young age. In truth, he was a little disappointed.

"I was bored of Provence. I wanted to see a bit of the world before I had to settle down, so I came to Paris. I intended to go further, but I like it here. My parents are happy because my godfather's here, and they thought he can keep an eye on me."

"And has he?"

"He reports back to my parents every so often, and I know where he is if I ever need help."

There were a large number of aristocratic families, and it paid to be associated with Valentin's family. Any one of them could be Valentin's godfather. But the idea of settling down posed more questions. Could Valentin do his duty as an heir, marry some wealthy girl, sire a son? It seemed unlikely. Many women had shown an interest in him, flaunting improper amounts of flesh. He'd ever so much as glanced, fixing his attention on whatever task he was working on.

Valentin had noticed Marius's irritation in the number of unanswered questions. "It's hardly fair to complain. I know next to nothing about you either."

"That's because my story is incomprehensibly dull. Nothing of interest happens to me."

"And that's how you ended up in Paris, seventeen years old, without a friend in the world. We both have our secrets."

Marius kept quiet because he was ashamed. He was afraid Valentin would turn and run if he saw him as he was. He had nothing in the world. His clothes were worn out, his lodgings scarcely habitable. Even his ideals were hand-me-downs from his father. Perhaps Valentin believed Marius to be as well off as he was himself. If that was the case, he would not shatter the illusion.

He never invited Valentin to spend the night with him, and in turn, Valentin never spoke of the apartment they had spent their first night in. But one evening, Gabriel plied Marius with too much wine. He and Valentin were still undecided as to whether to spend the night together. Marius was drunk, and Valentin's eyes were dimmed with fatigue, but they could lie alongside each other without being intimate. Eventually, Marius tipsily asked Valentin to walk him home.

He regretted it when they arrived at the tenement. So much for not ruining the illusion. But he couldn't send him home, turning him away in the cold, dark winter night. That would just be cruel. Reluctantly, he stood aside and let Valentin in.

To his credit, he didn't say a word, either too tired or too polite to comment on the dilapidated apartment. He stripped off - an unwise decision, considering the icy breezes howling through the walls - and sank onto the bed. It was scarcely large enough for two, but Marius and Valentin were just small and slim enough to fit together comfortably

Marius retained a little more of his clothing, prepared for the cold night, and slid into the bed. He pulled the ribbon out of Valentin's hair, unraveling the braid that he never got round to cutting. Most of the Amis admitted they couldn't imagine him with his hair any shorter now. Valentin fell asleep quickly, though his sleep was apparently restless. Marius quickly followed him into unconsciousness.

Morning came, and with it, an empty bed. Valentin was sat in the battered old wooden chair by the windowsill. He was dressed in nothing but his shirt, unbuttoned to his navel, shivering in the cool air. "Either get dressed or come back to bed. You'll catch your death."

"I'm fine." Marius sighed, getting up and pulling Valentin back towards the bed. His skin was ice-cold, but he genuinely didn't seem to notice. Marius kissed his cheek, hugging him close.

"Let's play a little game. I'm going to ask you questions, and for every bad answer you give me, you have to buy me a drink. And vice versa."

"Alright. Ask your questions."

Marius hesitated. If he pressed too far in his first question, Valentin would refuse to play along. First, he had to lull him into a false sense of security. He gave Valentin a teasing kiss. "Am I your first?"

Valentin thought for a moment, and Marius wondered if he was debating on whether to lie or not. "You tell me. What do you think?"

Marius thought. He didn't have much to compare his nights with Valentin to. He had no doubt that someone like Gabriel Courfeyrac might be able to do more to satisfy him, if he was that way inclined, but Gabriel's promiscuous nature was notorious. Being less experienced than him did not necessarily mark Valentin as a virgin. Besides, he was far more graceful and confident than Marius's inexperienced fumblings. "No. There's been someone else."

"True. I was young and stupid, and believed myself in love." For a moment, he looked wistful, but it passed. "That was a long time ago. And you?"

"I told you, nothing interesting ever happens to me, not until you came into my life. You're my first. My first kiss, however, was with one of my grandfather's servants in the pantry. We were pretty young, and he was the only one who understood."

Valentin laughed, and Marius looked offended. "I wasn't laughing at you," he promised. "I was remembering my first kiss. I was little, we just thought you kissed someone you liked. We didn't understand the implications."

"Who?"

"Julien Combeferre. Our parents were close friends, they were always at the house. They caught us." Marius tried to picture a young Valentin, caught kissing his childhood friend, an innocent mistake. He couldn't do it though. He couldn't imagine Valentin as a child, tiny and rosy cheeked. Nor could he imagine him any older, as a man, having left the law school, becoming a real adult. Valentin seemed to exist entirely in the present, caught in a perfect moment somewhere between innocence and maturity. No wonder they called him Apollo, a young god with the wisdom of ages.

Valentin fell silent for a moment, resting his head against Marius's chest. "I'm supposed to go to my godfather's for dinner tomorrow. It's sure to be a nightmare. Will you come with me?"

"Me?"

"Please. My father's parents died when he was young. Uncle André was a friend of my grandfather's, and he took my father in. Now his protégé has grown up and flown the nest, he's a bitter old man. I can't deal with him."

"I'll come with you, if you tell me who the man you fell in love with was."

"Marius..."

"Just his first name. What harm will it do?"

"What does it matter? It was a long time ago, and I've grown up since then."

"I'm curious."

"Alright. If I get through tomorrow in one piece, I'll tell you his name."


End file.
